Hate is a strong word, but there is an absurd amount of characters, either playable or otherwise, that fans have treated with a ridiculous amount of hostility. The level of hatred fans have toward these characters makes it difficult for them to accept a better depiction of them in future titles.
With that being said, there are a few examples of instances when these hated characters have succeeded in their search for redemption in fans' eyes. Whether it be through much better writing, an improved attitude, or just a better game to their name, these characters have been thoroughly redeemed.
Skyward Sword's Fi Made Fans Realize Navi Wasn't That Annoying
"Hey!! Hey!! Listen!!" It's amongst gaming's most hilariously stressful sounds, but one of Link's more recent allies has made people realize that they had it pretty good with Ocarina of Time's Navi. The Legend of Zelda has had a lot of characters designed to give the player assistance, but for years Navi was the most hated...until someone else came along.
Skyward Sword introduced Fi, a character who fills a similar role as Fi, but her constant interruptions and droning monologues drove fans even further up the wall than Navi. As fans cooled on Fi, they began to warm to Navi, with her screams of "hey" and "listen" being a good deal more endearing.
Metroid Dread Saved Samus From The Muck Other M Put Her In
For years, Samus from Metroid was one of Nintendo's most beloved characters, but Metroid: Other M proved to be a stain on her legacy. Out of all the Metroid games, Other M is the most controversial, as it turned Samus into a bland, mopey individual with none of the boss qualities that once made her great.
After a lengthy development time, Metroid Dread came out and, with a bit of assistance from Metroid: Samus Returns, helped Samus shed the shackles of her Other M characterization. Making her the classic bounty hunter once more, Dread reignited the love fans had for Samus before Other M corrupted it.
Super Smash Bros Made The Duck Hunt Dog Likeable After 29 Years
1985 was a big year for Nintendo, as that year saw the debut of Super Mario Bros., which in North America was bundled with Duck Hunt. While players loved both games, they grew to despise the dog in the latter game, as when the player failed to kill any ducks, the dog would mock them by laughing at them.
After many years of wanting to practice their aim on him, the dog from Duck Hunt made his return in Super Smash Bros., this time allied with a duck. This more friendly image made gamers more willing to like him, whereas Duck Hunt made them want to strangle him.
Portal 2 Turned GLaDOS From A Villain To A Victim
Portal, a small little puzzle game with a huge impact, introduced one of the most infamous video game villains of all time in the form of GLaDOS. Aperture Science's chief AI proved to be a proper challenge for players, forcing them to do dangerous tests and morally questionable acts, all with a cold snark that made her iconic.
The sequel initially cast her in a similar light, but when GLaDOS was dethroned by the dim-witted Wheatley and turned into a potato, her backstory began to be laid bare and fans saw that she wasn't always so malicious. Though the details will remain unspoiled, the ending song sums up her journey.
After Being Buried In Darkness And Grit, Super Bomberman R Brought The Joy Back To The Title Character
In terms of reboots of classic video games, Bomberman: Act Zero ranks among the most unnecessary. Turning the cute, bubbly Bomberman series into a dystopian bore, the concept proved itself to be as unappealing as its visuals and gameplay, giving the title character a retool he didn't need.
There had been a few other Bomberman games released after Act Zero, but nothing that made an impact until Super Bomberman R. The game made it clear that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, further illustrating how Bomberman's weird post-apocalyptic adventure was in the rearview mirror.
Sonic Mania Put The Blue Blur On The Healing Path
As successful as Sonic Adventure was, it kicked off a massive downturn in the quality of Sonic's titles as Sega repeatedly tried to recapture that game's magic. After the disasters that were Sonic '06 and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, Sonic had gone from one of the most beloved video game protagonists to a massive punchline.
So who saved Sonic? Well, turns out the fans did, as a coalition of fans successfully sold Sega on a title that paid tribute to The Blue Blur's 16-bit hits, which ended up becoming Sonic Mania. While not every Sonic game after Mania's release was a hit, the game itself set the hero in the right direction and proved that Sonic was, indeed, good.
Super Mario Sunshine Made Bowser A Loveable Father And He's Never Looked Back
One of Mario's most infamous and also fairly ridiculous villains, Bowser was one of the evil entities in gaming history for a few decades. Nonetheless, there were signs that The Koopa King had more going on under the hood, especially when he teamed up with Mario in Super Mario RPG.
Super Mario Sunshine pulled the trigger on making Bowser more likable, turning him into the loving father of Bowser Jr., an aspect that has softened him in the eyes of the fans. While he'll always have a more sinister edge to him, fans have fallen in love with the character too much to care.
Metal Gear Solid 3 Truly Fleshed Out Big Boss
Hideo Kojima is a creative genius, but there's no way he knew when he created the original Metal Gear game that seventeen years later, he'd be telling the origin story of the game's main villain. Throughout the beloved stealth-action series, Big Boss' legacy as the ultimate military mastermind built up a reputation in the minds of fans.
When fans got a hold of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, they assumed they were seeing the origin story of series mainstay Solid Snake, only for the game to reveal that they were playing as Big Boss. After seeing the torture the character went through, fans now understood his disillusionment and emotionally invested in the tragic soldier.
Mortal Kombat X Proved That Age Has Been Kind To Johnny Cage
As Mortal Kombat's characters became slightly more fleshed out, Johnny Cage's cheesy one-liners and cocky personality began to rub fans the wrong way. When the series was rebooted in 2011, the character was at his worst, coming across as an unlikeable snob that fans wanted to see get decapitated.
Mortal Kombat X, taking place twenty years after the first game, aged Cage up quite a bit, with the character's attitude having been tempered after marrying fellow Kombatant Sonya Blade, with the two having a daughter named Cassie. Making Cage a chill family man was the characterization he needed after years of being the arrogant punching bag.
2018's God Of War's Stern Father Kratos Far Surpasses His Murderous Past Self
Fans have taken issue with Kratos' initial characterization, as while the games portray him as an uber-cool bruiser, he in reality is a bloodthirsty baddie with a body count that rivals most serial killers. Though his motivations make sense to him, they fail to make up for the massacre he leaves in his wake by the end of God Of War 3.
2018's God of War finds a far more nonchalant Kratos raising a son in the land of The Norse Gods, now fully aware of the mistakes of his past and attempting to ensure that his son Atreus doesn't repeat them. The father and son journey that the game took Kratos on redeemed him in the eyes of fans, making his past character more or less irrelevant.